Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Kendal No.7 Unscented

I, like Pipestud and Steverino, didn't taste much of a chocolate flavor in this blend but there is an undeniable underlying sweetness that comes along with a pretty good punch of Lady N. I do detect a very light chocolate scent in the pouch and strangely after many bowls, I did get some of the taste after using a large, wide bowl. When completely dried, the shag cut makes for a quick and if one is not careful, hot burn. Smoking Kendal's #7 quickly can make this go from sweet to bitter fast! I do not detect any of the soapy smell that GH is often known for having. This blend is not related to GH's #7 Broken Flake. I'm not a big Virginia smoker, but this one is a keeper for me. Recommended.

“Kendal No. 7 - Typical air-cured aroma, enhanced with the sweetness of chocolate flavoring.”

When I first saw this tobacco, I immediately thought Dark Bird's Eye. No. 7 resembles DBE's fine, hair-like constitution, but without the “bird's eyes”. The aroma of the tobacco is similar as well, as both tobaccos are made from dark leaf. With these similarities, I expected No. 7 to taste very similar to DBE. There is some similarity in flavor but there are additional characteristics that give No. 7 its own personality.

The fine cut makes it easy to load the pipe and the tobacco takes to flame readily. One match will usually do if you don't feel the need to tamp after lighting. Upon ignition, No. 7 produces a large volume of smoke. This may be due to the fine cut burning relatively quickly.

The Lakeland scent is what I first notice after the tobacco is burning. It never gets strong or dominant in this blend but you probably won't miss it. It seems to diminish somewhat as the bowl progresses. There is also a subtle sweetness in this blend which is present throughout most of the bowl. It too is mostly a background player. One interesting taste I noticed is pepper, as might be experienced with a perique blend, and not a little bit. I've noticed this in other dark fire-cured and air-cured blends and it is apparently a characteristic of that leaf. An aspect of No. 7 that is an enigma to me is the “chocolate flavoring” mentioned in the manufacturer's description. I've smoked quite a few bowls and haven't been able to identify anything that resembles chocolate. This may have something to do with what I'm perceiving as sweetness but it just doesn't come through as chocolate to me.

*We are not told directly what the components of this blend are. As mentioned earlier, since No. 7 resembles DBE in both appearance and aroma, it is logical to assume that the same dark leaf is used, though it is air-cured rather than fire-cured as with DBE. The overall dark color of the tobacco seems to confirm this. I find the taste to be similar to burley as there is no Virginia grassiness or tanginess.

As for nicotine strength, this is a tobacco that can sneak up on you. If you pay attention and smoke at a reasonable pace, No. 7 is your friend and shouldn't overpower experienced smokers. If you get busy doing something else while you smoke, it can come up behind you and slap you on the back of the head.

This offering from Gawith, Hoggarth is a good blend for the smoker who enjoys a Lakeland-style tobacco but prefers the scented flavor in a more moderate proportion. The medium to full flavor and substantial nicotine level should satisfy all but the most demanding of smokers. Recommended.

*Addendum

When I wrote this review, I had not seen a description of this tobacco that listed the constituent tobaccos. I recently found such a description on one of the etailers' web page:

"The main distinguishing feature of this mixture is the high proportion of Indian dark air-cured tobacco in the blend (35%), which lends a certain 'cigar-type' aroma to the smoke. Combined with 27% dark-fired leaf and only 38% flue-cured Virginias the blend provides a fairly strong smoke." I was close!

Gawith Hoggarth- Kendal's No.7 Unscented.

I find this an enjoyable, albeit, basic blend. It seems, to me, quite a 'no messing' straight Va.

The biggest flavour of all is the Virginia's hay note. After that I can ascertain a sort of sweetness; I don't think it's chocolaty or false, it brings more of a bright side to the taste that livens it up.

The smoke from No.7 is pretty dry. It burns clean and efficiently without causing any gargle or moisture in the bowl.

The nicotine's a touch above medium. By no means do I find it strong, the pipe has to be given quite a big puff for it to qualify as medium to strong. Medium to slightly above medium rather than medium to strong!

I enjoy Kendal's No.7, it seems a very simple and basic blend. That's meant in a good way; some people may find it banal, me on the other hand, I think it proves that sometimes less is more!

Recommended.

This was another bulk buy so I don't have much to say on packaging. The tobacco comes in a wonderfully fine shag cut. It's light brown and yellow in colour. The smell in the jar is of fallen autumn leaves, soft hay and some breadiness. The tobacco came without being too wet, and at a perfect humidity to smoke out of the pack. Shag cut does best when packed tight.

Once I have it lit it is mildly complex. It's deep and earthy, and the Virginias add hay but only lightly. The slower I smoke this the more floral notes come out. There is a very soft hint of Lakeland that's barely noticeable. There are some cigar notes in this blend. Deep and rich.

I think the taste is a medium-full, it's definitely a full taste, but it doesn't linger. The strength is a medium-strong. I'm no lightweight, I'm smoking this on an empty stomach with my first cup of tea for the day, but I don't recommend doing this if you are more sensitive to Lady N. The room note is a little heavy and may not be the best for your non smoking family and friends. If I had nothing to do I could see myself puffing on this all day.

I find this a strong no nonsense pipe tobacco which I liked. Due to the Shag cut my first bowl went fast, the second I smoked slower. This blend seems to have a high nicotine content. As I smoke outside no room note was detected. I smoke all types but it is nice to encounter a power house like this one from time to time. The flavor can best be described by me as pure tobacco.

These Kentucky-cured shags by GH such as this, KK, and Dark Birdseye all taste very similar to me. Granted, they are not everyday smokes; I smoke the occasional bowl and use them a bit in blending. I tried an experiment last night and mixed the three blends I mentioned together, and really think I would have a hard time tasting the difference between the mixture and any one of these shags on its own! Even if they are not my everyday choice, I wouldn't be without something like this in my collection as a "change of pace" (yes, that expression is very overused). Actually, if I were exiled on a desert island (also an overused expression), and could only take perhaps five blends with me, I would choose this, or the Dark Birdseye, or Kendal Kentucky, just because they are such pure examples of this particular style, are high nicotine (economical), and are shags, so one can even roll a knockout cigarette from them; something I have done, and believe me, it's a cigarette that should be smoked in stages...

G, H & Co.'s Kendal No. 7 has a jar note that is pure tobacco. No frills, not pungent in any way just a good solid tobacco aroma with a little earth. As for the smoke it is very herbal, woodsy, earthy, smoky, a little floral, grassy, and slightly citrusy with cigar notes here and there. It was a little drying on the palate but did not bite. There is a slight whiff of Lakeland in the background. The nic hit is right at the med to strong category as is the overall profile. The finish was dry with a hint of sweetness but this is not a sweet smoke for me. The room note is tolerable at best. A solid 3 stars but it did not approach my big 3 shags (Kendal KY, Kendal Dark, and Dark Bird's Eye). Well worth trying, especially if these others are out of stock.

Package note of musty vegetation and fermented sweet. Tobacco is a shag cut of brown, light brown and a little dark brown. Moisture content is great. Burns moderately fast with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of peaty vegetation, sweet bread, sugar, spice, floral, orange peel, wood, earth, lemon grassy, savory, tart citrus, rich, sweet hay, a tangy and mildly sweet dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

I like Mixed Kendal more, but n 7 is a good smoke anyway. This is a ribbon cut full-bodied medium to full nicotine strength tobacco that comprises dark and brown flue cured Virginia leaf. It has cigar notes that become more and more apparent the more you progress with your smoke. By the end of the bowl it might develop a sharp edge somewhat similar to tongue bite, but this can be fixed by your smoking cadence. It lacks the sweetness and earthy notes of other Virginia ribbon cuts, but this is probably down to the flue cured and dark fired leaf it contains. It is worth noting that this blend will perform beautifully if you mix it with pigtail or rope tobacco on a half and half ratio. wstering this blend down with gold leaf might be a good idea as well for that little bit of extra sweetness or if you want to tone down its sharp edge. The trick with this blend, I believe, is down to finding the smoking cadence that works best for you. This means it will require some attention from you, so don't smoke it willy-nilly any time of the day. Being more of and after dinner blend, I would not recommend it to break the day. Also, I see plenty of aging potential here.